Indian Premier League Tournament Winner Tips: Powerhouse Mumbai Indians to end title drought

Crunched numbers reveal MI class

Mumbai Indians have not won an IPL title since 2020. They have not made a final for the same length of time. Could 2026 be the year that the original storied and superpower franchise returns to former glories?

Sportsbook's 16/54.20 that they do is fair. Despite their barren run, which equates with the start of global domination with teams in rival leagues, no IPL team has gone past their record of five titles. Chennai Super Kings, the other half of IPL Clasico, have drawn level on five each.

The portents for glory this season are strong. There is an argument that Mumbai were the best team in the IPL last season and there requires little improvement (if any) for them to take the title this year.

A fourth-placed finish in 2025 and defeat by Punjab Kings in the final qualifier suggests otherwise. But a closer look at the numbers behind their campaign suggest they are the right favourites this time around.

Just one more win would have seen MI top the league table. Their net run rate at +1.14 was far in advance of any other team, dwarfing the +0.3 of eventual champions Royal Challengers Bangalore. It is an important factor in deciphering how good, or bad, teams are. And would they have got that extra win had Jasprit Bumrah been available for more games.? Almost certainly.

Bumrah missed four matches. He returned an economy of 6.67 with a strike rate of 15.7. It is hardly a leap to reckon that with more game time MI would have had the points to avoid the qualifying system and go straight to the eliminator. Keeping Bumrah fit is, of course, a challenge. Maybe MI's greatest task. But worries about the fitness of key players are all pervasive. Spend too much time thinking about strains, niggles and tweaks and you'd never have a wager.

Bumrah to make the difference

The pacer's ridiculous numbers are crucial. In clutch matches, no bowler gets his team over the line as often. He single-handedly saw off England's assault in the T20 World Cup semi-final. Without him, India would have been dumped out of their own tournament.

That T20 World Cup win remains instructive. Alongside Bumrah, MI boast three other World Cup winners in Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma. No other team is decorated in such a way and it has to be a factor that in pressure moments the cream of the crop can rise to the top.

With such excellence available it is no surprise that Mumbai's underlying numbers are impressive, further suggesting that they were unfortunate to at least make the final last year. They were the top-ranked team for bowling economy, fourth for six-hitting, fourth for conceding sixes and at Nos 1 and 2 for powerplay for and against respectively. They do lots of things well.

It is important when considering a wager on the outright to select a team which, pardon the phrase, is a jack of all trades not a master of one. RCB were the ultimate all-rounder in 2025. They were solid across so many metrics while the team they beat in the final, Punjab Kings, had one trick. They could hit better than any but their work in the field was not up to scratch. So often in franchise cricket a one-dimensional team will, eventually, get found out.

Gujarat to go well

The question remains, then, about how best to back Mumbai. Sportsbook offer 5/16.00  that they win the league stage and 6/42.50 that they contest the final.

Either are fine but the special offer on league finish does appear to be too good to turn down. Over a longer 'study' period so to speak the best teams perform and this is an opportunity for a big winner without the worry of a bad day at the office spoiling a wager.

Gujarat Titans could be the greatest threat to Mumbai. They can match them as a team which have few weaknesses. The only major concern for them coming into the tournament is the form of Jos Buttler. And if they are ruthless they can solve it pretty quickly by pairing Glenn Phillips and Tom Banton. The 6/17.00 from Sportsbook is far from a mug wager.

Punjab, no doubt, will have a good thrash again and they are strong enough with the bat to ensure they make the play-offs. If they can combine stellar form from Arshdeep Singh and Yuz Chahal they could well make the strides required to get their bowling economy numbers down and win their first title. The 6/42.50 that they make the top four is perfectly acceptable. They still appear to be rated on what they have done before 2025 (when they were dreadful).

Holders Bangalore did just enough to lift the trophy. But crack, stellar franchises win back-to-back titles (only MI and Chennai Super Kings have managed it) and it is doubtful whether they have evolved enough. They should be bang in the mix for the top four, however.

It could well be a tournament which is high on chaos and low on quality. As discussed in the team-by-team guide there are some poor teams here, some of which are guilty of not rectifying weaknesses. That is code for there is very little to beat. Mumbai really should be capable of making their undoubted quality count.

Ed's IPL 2026 top-four finish prediction

Mumbai Indians

Gujarat Titans

Punjab Kings

Royal Challengers Bangalore

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